1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to broadcast receiving apparatuses that receive broadcast signals, and to provide pay program providing systems using such broadcast receiving apparatuses.
2. Description of Related Art
Currently, a fee-based service whereby a broadcast program is provided for a fee (pay program providing service) is available. Such a service is generally based on the assumption that a viewer makes a subscription agreement with a program provider in advance, such that, for example, the program provider ensures collection of a viewing fee. For example, a pay program is not allowed to be watched and recorded until the viewer makes a subscription agreement with the program provider. Depending on the contents of the subscription agreement, a certain amount of money may be collected as a viewing fee every month, or the viewer may be required in advance to select a program to be watched, such that the viewer is charged a viewing fee for that program. An example of a document related to what has been described thus far is JP-A-2005-311571.
The above-described conventional method makes it possible to collect the viewing fee almost unfailingly, because the party from which the viewing fee should be collected is known by the contents of the subscription agreement. However, this method is often inconvenient in particular for the viewer, because it is based on the assumption that the viewer makes a subscription agreement with the program provider in advance.
For example, with the above-described method, the viewer is required to make a subscription agreement about a pay program in advance to record the pay program and play it back later. As a result, the following problems arise. If the pay program will be broadcast soon (for example, 10 minutes later), the viewer fails to make a subscription agreement about the pay program in time, and therefore cannot record the pay program and play it back later. On the other hand, however, if the viewer is allowed to record any pay program and play it back without any inhibition, the pay program provider may find it difficult to collect the viewing fee.